The cottage in Courgevaux, Switzerland, was built in 2022. Together with the new “barn” building, it blends harmoniously into the castle grounds. The goal of the project was to create a residential community within the beautiful grounds of the castle.
The "Cottage" stands on the site of a chapel that was demolished in 1917 and has a total annual energy consumption of 15,600 kWh. It took a great deal of persuasion to obtain approval for a rooftop PV system on two new buildings situated between the protected structures. The 64 kWp PV system on the hipped roof generates 58,100 kWh/year. As a result, the building has a solar power surplus of 42,600 kWh/year, with a self-sufficiency rate of 373%. The unique roof shape and rising ridge required custom module layouts. Over a hundred different CREA MODULES were installed. Thanks to SolarEdge, the electricity yield can be optimized despite the dense tree cover and the varying orientations of the roof areas.
The two crises—the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine—posed a significant challenge to the entire construction project. However, thanks to the Swiss solution featuring a 3S solar roof, the project owners were spared any supply issues. The substantial surplus of PV electricity is consumed as much as possible within the castle park grounds. This consumption includes, among other things, electricity for electric mobility. From the very beginning of the project development, it was clear that on-site power generation with a high proportion of self-consumption would be important. The building, with its textured glass façade, impressed the PEB jury, and for this reason, this country house deservedly receives the 2023 Swiss PEB Solar Prize.
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